Telltale device



Aug. 23, 1938 e, RADTKE A TELLTALE DEVICE Filed Nov. 14, 1936 ,Bruno Radf/e- IN VENTOR.

HIS ATTORNEY.

fied form of the present invention;

Patented Aug. 23, 1938 `N-T oFFicE Y t 2,127,753' v l n A h TELLTALE DE'vICli Brun@ aadtkegohicago, lui-, assign@ @Exhibit Supply, Company, of Illinois u Chicago, Ill., av corporation y. vAppliemionV November 14,11936Qseria11%.110335 This invention relates toVtell-tale devices.'

' It isan object of thisinventionto'provide an improved tell-'taledevice which is relatively simple and i'neXpensivein'k construction and highly eicientinuse.I

Another object ofthe invention is toprovide an improved tell-taledevice whichfwill facilitate a detection `of fraudulent operationof coin icontrolled apparatus, or anyother apparatus with which the device may be associated. y

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved anti-tilt device which will' act :as a circuitv breaker when the 'apparatus with which it is associated is tilted into 'a vposition not normal to itsoperating position. l f n Other objects will appear hereinafter. `f

Theinvention consists in the n'ovel combina'- tion and arrangement of parts -to ybe hereinafter described and claimed. l n f c The invention will be best understood by reference tofthe'accompa'nying drawingshowing the pref-erred form of construction,l and in which:

` Fig. l is a fragmentary sectional viewof agame apparatus -embodying a rpreferred, form 'of the present invention and showing the same inside elevational View; I j v Fig. 2 is'a plan view of the preferred form of the present invention as seen from line 2--2in Figl;

`Fig`3v is a,longitudinal `sectionalk view of the same taken along'linev 3-3 injFig. 2;;1 v j Fig. 4 is a'longitu'dinal sectional view of a modi'- taken` along line `{i4-'Ei inFig; 4; 'and Fig. 6 is a horizontal'sectional view ofthe same taken along line IS-B in Figli.l l Y TheA invention as illustrated in the'drawing is shown associated with aY game apparatus which Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional viewof kthe same kincludes a cabinet I yhaving` an inclined playboard II over which balls are adapted to gravitate. There `are formed in this inclined playboard conventional opening'sgfone of which isVV indicated yat I2'. Beneath the opening i2 is mounted a switch fI 3'which ispositioned with respect to the opening lI2 in av ymanner that a ball passing through the opening {I2'wil1 drop upon the switchto effect an engagement ofthe two poles of the switch I3.' 'I

In' the lstructure of the cabinet' IUitis important thatfthe angle of the playboard II with respect to the] horizontal be maintained, that is, if that angle lbe ;increas ed,the"gravity vof the ball upon the surface of the playboard will be affected and the ball will'igravit'ate thereover with greater momentum. This increase of the momentum of the ball willcause' the ball to act in a manner other than it is intended that it should act and remove a portion of the hazard necessary for the display of skill upon the part of the person playing the game.

To this e'nd a tell-tale or'anti-tiltdevice I5 is employedto render the game inoperative if the angle of the playboard be Varied from the incline intended. As shown, the rtell-tale device I5 is mounted upon a front wall I4 of the cabinet I0, and comprises a mountingplate'l having a U- shaped trough "I'I Xed thereto and 'extending laterally' therefrom.l This trough I'I- consists of side walls I8 rforrnedintegrallyfwith a bottom wall Each of thesidefwalls II8 is provided with an angled portionZI at its left endland an angled portion 22 at its right end (Fig. 2)', the portions 2| being Xed to-the mounting plate' I-B to support the trough II `-With-`respect thereto andthe portions 22 bein'gconnected to and supporting-'an end wall'23. The end wallk 23v in turn has an angled portion 24 which'supports a switch member 25 "with theresilient elements or poles thereof positioned'above the trough I'I adjacent the end wall Avalley vor groove I9`is formed in the bottom wa`1l`2`0 of the trough I'I, and this valley I9is of graduated depth being shallow at the left Aend (Fig. 3) and deepest at the endadja'centthe'wall 23. AA ball 2'! is normally disposed in the trough Il and is adapted to ride upon the edgesof the valley I9 formed inthe wall 2B. Av cover plate 26 is Xed to one side wall I8 and partially covers the trough I'I sufficient to prevent removal ofthe ball 21. A set screw 28 is provided to facilitate-an adjustment ofthe trough with respect to the wall upon which ,the device ismounted.

i, Under normal operating conditionsthe ball 21 will seek the wider part ofthe valley I 9 and consequently aboutythe end vwall '23 of the trough.` kIn vthis position the upper surface ofthe ball 21 will engage the lowermost element of the switch` `and cause' the switch to assume aclosed or circuit 'completing position.' As' shown in Fig. `1, the switch l25 may be incorporated in the signal circuitof the game apparatus,l normally conditioning the electricalcircuit forv operation bythe switch I3 when a played ball affects the switch I3 as said ball passes through kthe opening I2. It

'wni be noted byrefer'enceto Figji that ifthe Vpitoh'fjof the'playboard II is increased by raising theend vof the cabinet Ill opposite tothe end I4 upon which the tell-tale deviceis' mounted, the

ball `2I by gravity will seek thelowerrnostfpoint of thel trough IIand will. consequentlymove away from the wall 23and roll out o f engagement with `the switch memberf25 therebyallowing the switch by itsgownl resiliency to disconnect and.v break the circuit in which it is embodied,V n

f. The cabinet Il) maylbeprovided ,with a unit I5 mounted upon its rear wall (not shown) which unit would operate to prevent a complete operation of the game apparatus by breaking a circuit similar to that shown when the incline of the playboard Wall I4.

A modified form of the invention is shown in Figs, 4, 5 and 6, and comprises a longitudinal trough 30 of a U-shaped structure, the bottom wall 3| of which has a valley 32 formed therein, the wider part of which is midway between the ends of the trough 30. A switch member 33 is mounted upon a bracket 34 supported by the side wall of the trough 30 in a manner to dispose the switch 33 midway between the ends of the trough 30 directly above the latter so that a ball 35 which normally rests at the wider reach of the valley 32 will engage and close the switch 33. This type of structure provides one unit for detecting the change of angle of the cabinet with which it is associated in either one of two directions.

It is important to observe that in both structures the supporting bracket structure is. simple and easy to construct, and that the trough arrangement assures positive movement of the ball with no lost motion in starting or stopping. Moreover, it is important to observe that the flexible switch arm is arranged above the ball so that the latter wedges itself into position and the contacting operation of the switch is positive instead of fiuttery and weak as in the case of previously known ball-contact arrangements.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying my invention into effect, this is capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. An anti-tilt device comprising a channel bracket having a horizontal bottom plate in which is formed a longitudinally extensive trough, means at one end of said trough providing a mounting member for said bracket, the latter having an end wall portion at the opposite end of said trough and opposite side wall portions between said mounting member and said end wall, a switch member mounted on said end Wall above said trough and having an elongated flexible operating arm extending toward the center of the trough and substantially parallel therewith, and a ball member adapted to roll in said trough into and out of position beneath said operating arm for substantially wedging engagement beneath the latter to move the same and operate said switch responsive to tilting of said bracket.

2. A tell-tale device including a support constituting a horizontal runway, a ball movable back and forth in said runway, a switch mounted on said support and having a yieldable operating arm projecting collaterally over said runway above said ball for engagement by the latter to operate said switch when said support is tilted into a predetermined position, said operating arm being constructed and arranged so that said ball will be substantially wedged therebeneath in said predetermined position.

3. In a device of the class described, means Il is decreased by raising the end providing a ball runway, a ball movable back and forth in said runway responsive to tilting movement of the same, a switch arranged at one end of said runway and having an elongated ilexible operating arm movable in a vertical direction and arranged to extend at a height above said ball and substantially parallel with the length of the runway such that said ball may roll into frictional operative engagement with said arm and beneath the same.

4. In a device of the class described, a mounting member, means providing a horizontally extensive ball runway supported by said member, a switch mounted at an end of said runway and having an elongated flexible arm projecting in the direction of the length of the runway and at a height adequate to permit a ball in said runway to roll into frictional engagement with said arm therebeneath to flex the same and operate said switch, and a ball in said runway and movable back and forth for the purpose aforesaid.

5. In a device of the class described, a mounting member, means providing a horizontally extensive ball runway supported by said member,

a switch mounted at an end of said runway and having an elongated fiexible arm projecting in the direction of the length of the runway and at a height adequate to permit a ball in said runway to roll into frictional engagement with said arm therebeneath to fiex the same and operate said switch, and a ball in said runway and movable back and forth for the purpose aforesaid, said arm being curved conformably with the curvature of said ball to increase the frictional contact between the latter.

6. In a device of the class described, a mounting plate attached in the region of its lower edge to an object for tilting movement in a vertical plane toward and away from said object, means at an opposite edge of said mounting member and movable adjustably against said object to effect relative tilting movement of the mounting member with respect thereto, means attached to said mounting member and providing a horizontally extended runway, a ball in said runway, a switch at the end of said runway opposite said mounting member, said switch having an elongated yieldable operating arm and being mounted to project that arm in the direction of the length of the runway above said ball, said arm having a part curved conformably to the curvature of said ball, said ball moving in said runway into frictional engagement with and beneath the curved part of said arm to operate said switch responsive to tilting movement o1' the runway.

'7. In a device of the class described, a mounting plate constructed for attachment in adjustable positions on a vertical wall member, a horizontally extending ball runway attached at one end to said mounting member, said runway having a trough formation in its bottom to guide a ball, a ball movable back and forth in said runway land trough responsive to tilting movement thereof, a switch mounted on said runway and having a spring operating arm projecting above said runway at a height above said ball to permit movement of the latter therebeneath to frictionally engage the same for movement to operate said switch.

BRUNO RADTKE. 

